U.J.A. Announces Appointment of Dr. Scewartz As Top Administrator; Will Succeed Montor

The appointment of Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, European director of the Joint Distribution Committee, to the post of executive vice-chairman of the United Jewish Appeal to succeed Henry Montor, was announced here today by William Rosenwald, Rudolf G. Sonneborn and Rabbi Jonah B. Wise, national chairmen of the U.J.A.

The change in the top administration of the national United Jewish Appeal was announced on the eve of the national U.J.A. conference, which will meet in Atlantic City this week-end to inaugurate its 1951 drive. Dr. Schwartz was granted a leave of absence by the J.D.C. to become administrative head of the fund-raising organization.

Mr. Montor submitted his resignation, to take effect Jan. 1, in order to be in a position to organize and manage a new financing program for Israel which will be inaugurated in the United States early next year with the sale of Israel bonds among American Jews. During the twelve years when Mr. Montor served as its administrative head, the United Jewish Appeal raised more than $720,000,000, of which more than $565,000,000 was raised from January, 1946, through 1950, inclusive.

NATIONAL OFFICERS OF U.J.A. PAY TRIBUTE TO MONTOR; WELCOME DR. SCHWARTS

The officers of the United Jewish Appeal paid high tribute to Mr. Montor’s service during the past twelve years. “He has made an invaluable contribution to a better future for Jews in Israel and elsawhere through his great zeal and irrepressible and untiring energy,” they said in a statement. “We believe that American Jewry is indebted to Mr. Montor for his insight and his tenacity in bringing about the adoption of new standards of generosity in response to the needs in the upbuilding and resettlement of Israel, the rehabilitation and relief of Jews in Europe and North Africa, and in the adjustment of newcomers to the United States.”

In welcoming Dr. Schwartz to the cirectorship of the U.J.A. the national chairmen said: “We are confident that under his leadership, American Jewry will continue its generous response to the needs in Israel, Europe, North Africa and among the refugees in the United States,” the statement said. “During the past decade, Dr. Schwartz has demonstrated a rare devotion to and understanding of the problems of Jews throughout the world. His administration of the far-flung program of relief and rehabilitation in the days of greatest tragedy for the Jews overseas and more recently in the period of renewed hope through migration to Israel, represents an historic milestone in the survival of the Jewish people.”

Dr. Schwartz, the new executive vice-chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, is generally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in the world on the problem of Jewish refugees and mass migration and resettlement. As head of all of the overseas operations of the Joint Distribution Committee, Dr. Schwartz was personally responsible for the largest humanitarian program ever conducted by a non-governmental agency. During the past twelve years he has directed a farflung rehabilitation and relief and migration effort covering more than thirty countries and involving hundreds of thousands of human beings.